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I was just talking about tub tape/glue.
I suppose the online competition has made stocking consumables for retail unprofitable: if you're going to make a buck you also need to fit the cable/tube/tape etc.
I think you're right that the "new" bike shops will increasingly just be salesrooms for OTP bikes and workshops: no bits and bobs for the home mechanic, as there's no money to be made from them.
Scilly.Suffolk
Howard
Not too sure you have to be that niche.
I my part of town, there are many folks with a reasonable level of disposable income who cycle either as commuters, for recreation or both.
It's very difficult in this part of town to find a shop that stocks event basic parts (I accept tub tape might be seen as a bit niche).
With the exception of Decathalon, all of the shops I mentioned in my original post were empty when I visited them.
What's the point in even visiting a bike shop if they are unlikely to stock parts or consumables you might want, and if you wouldn't dream of letting the mechanics anywhere near your bike?
Ultimately, all these places are banking on the fact that they can get a big mark-up for flogging someone an expensive Trek, Giant or Cube. But I think that might be a fairly short-term strategy.
The big opportunity for independents, I would think, is that the chains are just shit.